In a typical network such as, for example, an IEEE 802.3 network, it is not allowable to configure two devices to have the same Internet Protocol (IP) address at the same time. Configuring two devices to have the same IP address would cause conflicts and collisions due to inherent operation of the protocol and network. In this regard, contention over a shared IP address between devices may cause collisions along with dropped and/or intermittent traffic on the network. Accordingly, only a single device is assigned to each IP address at any one time.
In a network where device redundancy is desirable for improved operation of the network, manual replacement of a failed device is typically performed to provide such redundancy and still avoid having two devices with the same IP address. However, even in situations where care is taken to perform such replacements in a timely manner there may be certain time sensitive applications or equipment for which the loss of such applications or equipment for any length of time is not desirable under any circumstances. Furthermore, some equipment may be remotely located, thereby requiring the dispatch of technicians to the remote location of the equipment for manual replacement thereby increasing cost and network downtime. As such, manual replacement in the event of failed devices may be costly in terms of both reductions in the quality of network operation and increases in expense and potential loss of service and revenue.